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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
Dreaded times await most Premier Soccer Leagues clubs as the conversations about resumption of the league gathers momentum because many of them will lose some of their players whose contracts expire in December.

At the beginning of the month, Zifa revealed plans to push for the return of the Premier Soccer League next month as a back-up plan ahead of the resumption of international football in November.

The national association has started formal engagements with the Sports and Recreation Commission and is awaiting the green light to kick-start training and games.

Caf announced that the Afcon qualifiers are resuming between November 9 and17.

There are only three months left before the year ends meaning that some players will be free agents soon.

Reality seems to be striking most clubs that stand to lose players they have been paying salaries but not playing football because of the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

What’s clear is that clubs are confused about how to handle the issue as Zifa is yet to give guidance on the matter.

It seems as if calls in July by football stakeholders challenging Zifa to address the issue of players’ contracts fell on deaf ears and fears continue to rise that clubs could lose players they paid throughout the year without kicking a ball.

The only thing Zifa said on the issue was to encourage clubs to “engage the players”.

Footballers Union of Zimbabwe (Fuz) and local agents have been at the forefront of calling for clubs to be proactive and engage players whose contracts have lapsed instead of waiting for guidance from Zifa.

Some players’ contracts expired in June, with Highlanders reportedly losing midfielder Brian Banda and striker Tinashe Makanda.

Highlanders have been paying the two players’ salaries, hoping Zifa was going to announce contract adjustments.

The other reason Bosso have been paying the players despite their contracts having expired is purely on humanitarian grounds.

There are reports that Banda has signed for champions FC Platinum who are waiting for player contracts issues to be resolved before they unveil him.

In April, Fifa issued guidelines to address legal consequences of Covid-19.

In relation to the expiry and commencement of player contracts, Fifa noted that expiring player contracts usually end when the season ends, with a termination date that coincides with the end of the season.

This means players like Banda and Makanda, whose contracts had technically expired, still belong to their old clubs, unless both parties agree to part ways.

Since clubs are not to blame for the suspension of the league due to Covid-19 pandemic, it would not be fair on clubs to lose players whose contracts have expired but were receiving salaries while not playing football.

Fifa acknowledged that football employment agreements couldn’t be performed as Covid-19 hit clubs’ revenue streams attached to match-related activities.

Fifa encouraged associations to find fair and equitable solutions tailored to their circumstances, with a view to protecting jobs and achieving a fair and reasonable balance of interests between players and clubs.

But without a working document from Zifa, players will be free to move in December.

Fifa also urged clubs and players to work together to find agreements and solutions during the period when football is suspended.

However, the wait for direction from Zifa mustn’t hinder clubs from engaging players.

The teams must continue with negotiations so that if Zifa decides otherwise, they are not found wanting.

Bosso, one of the hardest hit clubs said: “As you will be aware our club has possibly been one of, if not, the most verbal in appealing for engagement on the effects of the Covid-19 forced football freeze. So while football action, training and competitions, have been on hold since March, other aspects of club life such as payment of salaries and upkeep of players and staff, who have been working from home or not at all, have been met. The net effect of this is that clubs have been paying contractual obligations without receiving any services for the payments.

“Imagine if the reverse was true and players were rendering services and clubs not paying for such service? It is therefore an unavoidable must for our FA, Fuz and clubs through the PSL, to work out a football friendly arrangement to address this predicament. – @ZililoR